Friends set to walk full length of River Ribble

AN attempt to raise £4,000 for charity will see two Ribble Valley men walk the length of the River Ribble in one go.

Friends Jack Spees, 32, and Mark Rudd, 33, will set off from the Dolphin Inn, Longton on Friday, August 1, in their bid to walk from ‘sea to source’ in less than 26 hours.

The men, who are both from Clitheroe and have been friends for almost nine years, are raising money for the River Ribble Trust and Water Aid.

They will be cheered on during the 75-mile trek by friends and family and are hoping to raise £2,000 for each charity by the start of the walk.

Jack, who is a director at the River Ribble Trust, said: “We both really believe in the charities through the work that we do and I hope that we reach our target.

“We are both training very hard but the actual trek will be very difficult.

“We decided that we should undertake an activity to raise awareness of the River Ribble but also the importance of water for everyone. Mark and I have been training for five months now and I hope everything goes well on the day.”

Mark, who is a fisheries officer at the Environment Agency, said: “We first discussed it over a meal in December.

“We went straight into training and have completed about seven or eight training walks since then.

“Jack and I have covered the whole distance in small treks so now we just need to put them all together.

“We both believe in the work that Water Aid and the River Ribble Trust do because it’s all about conserving water.

“We get on like a house on fire so it will be no problem talking for 26 hours.”

The pair have raised almost £1,500 so far.

For more information, or to sponsor Jack and Mark, visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Ribble